July 31/98 10:55 am - Gan Rider Takes Stage 19

Posted by Editor on 07/31/98

Backstedt Takes Stage 19

The group of 13 riders who broke free of the peleton only 17 kilometres into todayÃ¢â‚¬Å¡s 242 kilometre stage moved to a maximum of 17 minutes ahead of the field, before being brought back slightly in the final 25 kilometres. It was around this time that attacks began to happen among the front runners, with 4 riders eventually getting clear: Eddy Mazzoleni (Saeco), Magnuss Backstedt (Gan), Pascal Derame (US Postal) and Maarten Den Bakker (Rabobank). Derame led the sprint out, with the Swedish coming around him to take the stage in the final metres.